In this episode I speak with psychologist Lucy Faulconbridge. Lucy has an extensive background in the biological and psychological bases of eating behaviors and obesity. I found our conversation to be a nice complement to my discussion with Aria in episode 1, as we talked about some similar issues from different angles.

We talked about what it’s like being a full-time therapist, and shared the view that the work is as challenging as it is fulfilling. The topic of self-care came up, which I have a feeling is going to be a recurrent theme in the Think Act Be podcast. Just a hunch. We shared our experiences of mindfulness, and how we don’t have to practice meditation to be mindful.

We also addressed the complex meanings that food has in our lives, from nutrition to religious ritual to many others. This complexity contributes to the difficulty so many individuals have with losing weight and keeping it off.

I’ve tried various diets in the past to address some health concerns, and I asked Lucy for her take on the science of good nutrition. She underscored the likelihood that different people do better with different diets, and that any one-size-fits-all approach won’t fit all. That’s been my impression, as well—that despite our hope for “correct” dietary guidelines, in the end we have to listen to our own bodies and needs and see what sort of foods make us feel the best.

Lucy grew up in England and attended the University of St. Andrews. She and I met in our doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania, where we were in the same cohort of clinical psych students. During her graduate training she studied the neuroscience of eating behaviors using rat models.

Following her internship and postdoctoral fellowship she joined the faculty at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders in the Psychiatry Department at Penn’s School of Medicine, where she served as Director of Research. She currently has a full-time private practice in Wayne, PA, and is a clinical faculty member in the Psychiatry Department at Penn.

Find Lucy on the web at www.mainlinetherapist.com.